Here are some of the forward-thinking reasons we like the Generation Plan that City of Austin is already committed to —

Reduces Energy Demand by 800 megawatts by 2020 through Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Increases On-Site Solar and other Renewable Power to get more of our electricity from wind, solar, biomass and geothermal resources

Phases-down Fayette Coal Plant

Requires a technical and economic feasibility Study to phase out coal completely by 2020 or sooner

Creates a follow-up strategy to publicly evaluate Austin’s energy plan every 2 years

Much careful thought and broad-based input went into the City’s adoption of this plan. Before committing to the Plan, Austin City Council took recommendations from:

Austin Energy

The Generation Task Force, comprised of industry and community representatives

Austin’s Electric Utility Commission

Austin’s Resource Management Commission, and

A series of Town Hall meetings and other public input opportunities.

This is what Democracy looks like!

The new Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis, to his great credit, is ready to implement the plan. He said so in this Austin Chronicle article and when he addressed Austin City Council this January.

Its not an either or proposition that NRG is making. The NRG proposal — which, did I mention, does not fit into Austin’s Generation Plan, would leave coal burning and polluting at the Fayette plant, just not owned by City of Austin. Our neighbors in the Texas Pecan Alliance would not appreciate that.

It would also make it more possible for NRG to forge ahead with their ill-conceived plans to expand the South Texas nuke Project (STP).

To get more involved, contact flavia.delafuente@sierraclub.org or phone the Sierra Club office to find out about the meetings to Phase out Fayette and to promote Solar Si, Nuclear No — 512-477-1729.

3 responses to “Steady on with the Plan”

Water to expand the South Texas Nuclear Project will come straight out of Lakes Travis and Buchanan. Generating electricity with nuclear energy uses as much as 25 times the water required for photovoltaic solar, and more than 70 times the water required for wind electric:

Water consumption for nuclear, coal and natural gas electricity from Water & Sustainability (Volume 3): U.S. Water Consumption for Power Production-The Next Half Century, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2002. 1006786.

Water to expand the South Texas Nuclear Project will come straight out of Lakes Travis and Buchanan. Generating electricity with nuclear energy uses as much as 25 times the water required for photovoltaic solar, and more than 70 times the water required for wind electric:

Water consumption for nuclear, coal and natural gas electricity from Water & Sustainability (Volume 3): U.S. Water Consumption for Power Production-The Next Half Century, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2002. 1006786.